The Robert Louis Stevenson classic, ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ tells the story of Dr Jekyll and his beastly alter ego Mr Hyde.
It’s an old story, and there have been many versions of it brought to the big screen – over 123 according to Wiki – but the version I want to tell you about today is very new, and very different. In fact, it’s not a retelling of the old story at all. It’s Candy Korman’s latest, thoroughly modern Monster Tale!
As with all her Monster Tales, Korman turns the original, tired idea on its head. For starters, Hyde is neither evil, nor male. Hyde is Dr Emily Hyde, a young, highly respected skin specialist who treats melanomas.
But after spending her whole life being a good girl, Emily Hyde feels as if she’s missed out on something. While her friends were out raging at parties, and having adventures of one sort or another, Emily had her head stuck in a book. The rebellious teens passed her by completely.
Now Emily wants to make up for lost time, but being Emily, she doesn’t turn to drugs. Instead, she buys a motorbike, goes dancing, and meets Dan.
Handsome, seductive, mysterious Dan invites Emily to a party at the Club, and that’s when life starts to take a strange turn.
At first, Emily is sure her life has taken a turn for the better, but those odd memory lapses are a bit of a worry…
And that’s all you get. Sorry. 😀
Those of you who’ve read Candy’s earlier Monster novellas know what to expect. For everyone else, you will find a beautifully written story with strong, 3D characters, a tight plot, and odd little homages to other stories. I found one that made me lol [laugh out loud] with delight.
Needless to say, I couldn’t put ‘The Strange Case of Dr Hyde and her Friends’ down, and I’d recommend it to anyone who doesn’t mind staying up late to finish a damn good story!
cheers
Meeks